Out of Eden : Adam and Eve and the problem of evil / Paul W. Kahn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kahn, Paul W., 1952-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Good and evil.

Eden.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (242 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, c2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In Out of Eden, Paul W. Kahn offers a philosophical meditation on the problem of evil. He uses the Genesis story of the Fall as the starting point for a profound articulation of the human condition. Kahn shows us that evil expresses the rage of a subject who knows both that he is an image of an infinite God and that he must die. Kahn's interpretation of Genesis leads him to inquiries into a variety of modern forms of evil, including slavery, torture, and genocide. Kahn takes issue with Hannah Arendt's theory of the banality of evil, arguing that her view is an instance of the modern world's lost capacity to speak of evil. Psychological, social, and political accounts do not explain evil as much as explain it away. Focusing on the existential roots of evil rather than on the occasions for its appearance, Kahn argues that evil originates in man's flight from death. He urges us to see that the opposite of evil is not good, but love: while evil would master death, love would transcend it. Offering a unique perspective that combines political and cultural theory, law, and philosophy, Kahn here continues his project of advancing a political theology of modernity.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction:The Study of Evil

Chapter one: A Preliminary Meditation on Oedipus and Adam

Chapter two: Evil and the Image of the Sacred

Chapter three: Love and Evil

Chapter four: Political Evil: Slavery and the Shame of Nature

Chapter five: Political Evil: Killing, Sacrifice, and the Image of God

Conclusion: Tragedy, Comedy, And The Banality Of Evil

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9786612129704

9781282129702

1282129708

9781400827442

1400827442

OCLC:

368307227